‘PIE Training… What’s in your Psychological Toolbox?’

25.10.19: After last week’s excitement at Centrepoint’s formal launch of its Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE), this week I have begun to outline the specifics of the in-house staff training programme that will be launched across the organisation in early 2020. The PIE Implementation and Assessment Guide (Westminster Council, 2015; https://www.homeless.org.uk/sites/default/files/site-attachments/Creating%20a%20Psychologically%20Informed%20Environment%20-%202015.pdf) notes that supporting staff through PIE training is critical, in order to embed the psychological framework and develop their psychological skills and knowledge further when working with the needs of the young people that present to homeless services.

Following discussions with psychology colleagues already working in this area, a review of the literature and my own past experiences in facilitating psychology training internationally, the intention is that our Centrepoint PIE training programme will be an interesting and useful mix of didactic, experiential and reflective activities that develop staff’s psychological awareness, skills and knowledge further across the whole organisation. This will be a huge undertaking, as it will be run for all staff (currently about 500) and within all the regions we currently operate in (i.e. Bradford, Barnsley, London, Manchester and Sunderland), therefore roll-out is likely to take at least the first six months of 2020. However, Centrepoint appreciate that staff training (alongside reflective practice) is a critical part of making our PIE successful, and are investing in additional psychology roles to support me in the delivery of the PIE training as well as other PIE related planned activities in the future. Please therefore watch this space for further details, or get in touch via h.miles@centrepoint.org if you are a Clinical Psychologist interested in working in the charity sector to make a difference in the lives of homeless young people.

Specifically, whilst it is acknowledged that Centrepoint staff (outside our Health Team) are not typically ‘therapists’ or ‘psychologists’, the aim of the Centrepoint PIE Training will be to provide all staff with an understanding of the importance of a ‘secure base’ (Bowlby, 1988) and how previous disrupted attachments and the breakdown in family relationships can psychologically disadvantage young people who find themselves homeless, as well as shape their current or future relational behaviour. Centrepoint PIE training will therefore be ‘trauma-informed’ in line with recent developments across both the voluntary (https://www.homeless.org.uk/sites/default/files/site-attachments/TIC%20PIE%20briefing%20March%202017_0.pdf) and statutory sectors (https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MHRJ-01-2015-0006/full/pdf?title=trauma-informed-mental-healthcare-in-the-uk-what-is-it-and-how-can-we-further-its-development).

The Centrepoint PIE Training will also allow staff to understand the importance of evidence based reflective practice both in service delivery as well as within our office processes, strategies, policy and development work. It will cover the formulation of problems (e.g. using the 5P’s Model), basic communication and relationship building skills; using a strengths based approach, as well as highlighting the importance of self-care when working in this sector. Team based monthly reflective practice sessions will then commence shortly after the Centrepoint PIE Training to further embed learning and provide an opportunity for staff to develop their reflective practice skills with their colleagues.

In addition, for those staff that work directly with homeless young people in our Housing & Support, Health & Wellbeing, Education and Training, Engagement and Helpline Team(s), they will have further PIE training (approximately 4 weeks later) on appropriate evidence based ‘psychological tools’. This PIE Training will provide ‘frontline’ staff with a ‘psychological tool box’ akin to a DIY toolbox that you or I might have in our home. Our DIY toolboxes probably contain some basic tools such as a hammer or a screwdriver that enable us to mend or build basic DIY projects in our homes right there and then. Of course, if we have a major building project or need to do significant re-wiring, plumbing or decoration, we get the construction professionals in to do it!! In much the same way, our ‘frontline’ staff will be given a basic set of evidence based psychological ‘tools’ to work in the here and now with the young people they engage with to address minor issues. For example, techniques from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectal Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to develop emotional self-regulation, build motivation and positive self-esteem, problem solve and understand the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. ‘Frontline’ staff will still refer, as currently, to the specialist professionals (e.g. Centrepoint’s Health Team or Statutory Mental Health Services) for more complex issues that a homeless young person may present with.

So why have we chosen this ‘toolbox’ analogy with two PIE Training offers? There are after all, many different excellent versions of PIE Training already developed that could be utilised. However, during the scoping exercise earlier this year, it was clear that the needs of staff within different areas of the organisation varied. There were commonalities, in that all staff need to be aware of our PIE approach and the psychological framework that underpinned it, including the importance of ‘relationships’ and a reflective mind-set, but there were also differences. Staff working directly with young people in our services wanted practical training, held regionally and not too intensively, which built upon their existing skills and knowledge when working with young people. They requested evidence based psychological ideas on how they could work with young people in an accessible format. In addition, the needs of Centrepoint staff working with homeless young people were highlighted as potentially different from staff working with other homeless populations (e.g. adult rough sleepers). Given that PIE argues for the role of ‘co-production’ with those that work within an organisation as much as those that receive the service we offer (i.e. homeless young people), our Centrepoint PIE Training is therefore being developed accordingly to meet the specific needs of the staff within our organisation.

Finally, this is just the beginning of our PIE training journey, further PIE informed training modules or ‘tools’ are in development within Centrepoint’s current learning offer to staff, and staff will be encouraged to attend additional training opportunities in the future to build up their ‘PIE portfolio’ recording their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours. This is therefore an exciting time to be working for Centrepoint; our approach to PIE training communicating to staff that they are valued by the organisation, and have a critical role in helping #changethestory for homeless young people in the UK so they can achieve their potential. On which note, I am reminded that ‘life is a tool box containing tools like — love, care, help, sympathy … and many more. Use it to make the finest sculpture of yourself [and others]’ (c.f. Chetna Bhaha, 2018).